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Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography

Glenn
Hughes is a contradiction – the talented singer, songwriter, and musician remains
a relatively obscure figure in America, in spite of his status as a bona fide
rock ‘n’ roll legend. Although you may not have heard of Hughes, or maybe remember
his name only vaguely, chances are that if you’re a fan of ye olde
“classic rock,” you’ve probably heard the “voice of rock”
upon a time.

Hughes’
tenure with bands such as Trapeze, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath during the
1970s and ’80s has long been the stuff of myth, while collaborations with
like-minded musicians like Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, singer Joe Lynn Turner, and
guitarist Pat Thrall have only added to his legacy. Throw in a moderately successful
solo career (especially in Europe) that has yielded almost two-dozen
recordings, and add Hughes’ role as an integral part of the classic rock
supergroup Black Country Communion, and the question becomes not “who is
Glenn Hughes” but, rather, “why haven’t you heard of Glenn
Hughes?”

With
better than 40 years of rock ‘n’ roll history behind him, Hughes has some
stories to tell, and tell them he does in Glenn
Hughes: The Autobiography. Unlike similar celebrity rock bios that either shovel
mud on somebody else (Keith, I’m thinking of you) or mindlessly revel in behavioral
excesses (ahem, Mutley Crew…), the punches that Hughes throws are almost exclusively
thrown at himself. Glenn has been a
bad boy through the years, and the decades of soul-seeking and struggling with
addiction he reveals in these pages aren’t shared as thinly-veiled boasts but
rather as cautionary tales.

Although
Hughes’ longtime struggle with cocaine is certainly no secret to many in the
industry, the extent to which it threatened to derail his career is shocking in
its extremity. That Hughes managed to come out the other side of decades of
abuse with his musical gifts and sense of humor intact is not only amazing, but
downright encouraging. Aside from the obvious sincerity that shines from the
pages of Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography,
Hughes’ conversational style and the way he frames his story conveys a
friendliness and down-to-earth personality that the average reader can relate
with. Personally, I’ve spoken with Hughes on occasion, and have always been
struck at the ease in which he engages you…it’s like meeting an old friend on
the street and coming away thinking “what a hell of a guy!”

As for the
dirt in Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography,
there’s little of it, really, although Hughes comes embarrassingly clean on a
number of high-profile sexual and romantic liaisons, and offers the truth, from
his perspective, of a number of high and low points throughout his storied
career, most of the self-professed lows involving drugs of one sort or another.
The bio begins with a brief overview of his childhood and teen years, and
touches upon his early musical efforts. Hughes’ first band of note, the
vastly-underrated Trapeze, is covered to some extent, leading up to the
unexpected break that would launch his career into the stratosphere – his
recruitment as a member of Deep Purple.

Joining
Deep Purple in 1973 was a huge advance for the young singer and bass player’s
career. Purple were already one of a handful of jet-setting, globe-spanning
superstar rock bands at the time, and Purple’s choice to bring in Hughes and vocalist
David Coverdale to replace Ian Gilliam and Roger Glover had the band’s longtime
fans wondering. Hughes contributed bass and vocals to three of the band’s
mid-to-late 1970s studio albums, and a handful of live discs, and he goes into
detail on his time with the band, his relationships with both old members like
Jon Lord and Ian Paice as well as newcomers like Coverdale and, later, Tommy
Bolin. For a Purple fan, Hughes’ memories of his time with the band – positive and negative – provide priceless inside
info.

After the
break-up of Deep Purple, Hughes would be involved with a number of various
projects, some more successful, creatively and/or commercially, than others. There
would be a short-lived Trapeze reunion, a pair of well-regarded albums made
with former Pat Travers guitarist Pat Thrall (Hughes/Thrall); an unsatisfying
collaboration with blues-rock guitarist Gary Moore; and a number of projects
with Tony Iommi, some better than others, that would culminate in the
ill-conceived Iommi solo work cum Black Sabbath album-in-name-only Seventh Star. Some of these projects Hughes
touches upon only fleetingly, others he offers more detail, but often they are
just presented as an interesting aspect of the overall narrative flow.

Also only
briefly addressed is Hughes’ seemingly secret career as a studio gun for hire.
Although Hughes’ career is indelibly marked by high-profile band memberships
and musical collaborations, he has also often lent his talents to a lengthy
list of other artists’ recordings. Among Hughes’ session credits are those one
would expect – guest appearances on albums by Purple alumni like Roger Glover,
Jon Lord, and Tommy Bolin – the not entirely unexpected, such as singing with
Pat Travers or Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep), and the surprisingly diverse,
including sessions with the KLF, Motley Crue, Ryo Okumoto, and Quiet Riot,
among many others. One gets the sense that Hughes brought his unique voice to
many of these sessions not for monetary gain (although there probably was some)
but rather because of the immense joy he has in the music.

Given
short-shrift by Glenn Hughes: The
Autobiography is the artist’s lengthy and, at times, brilliant solo career,
which began in 1977 has since resulted in a number of solid albums of Hughes’
trademark funk-infused rock ‘n’ soul music. Although Hughes touches upon a few
of the milestones of his solo work, including his 1977 debut Play Me Out, he concentrates mostly on
his post-sobriety recordings of the 21st century, which include such gems as
2003’s Songs In The Key Of Rock,
2005’s Soul Mover, and 2006’s Music For The Divine.

A little
more insight is provided Hughes’ role in the formation of Black Country
Communion with blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham, and
keyboardist Derek Sherinian. Hughes has seemingly found a new creative spark
playing alongside these three talented musicians, and the overwhelming European
acceptance of the band’s blues,
rock, and soul hybrid sound has added another interesting chapter to Hughes’ still-ongoing story. Two studio albums
and a live CD and DVD into the career of a band that’s only a couple of years
old, only stateside dominance as eluded Black Country Communion so far.

Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography is constructed as a
sort of oral history, with Hughes’ recollections punctuated by commentary from family
(including his wife and parents), friends like Rob Halford (Judas Priest) and
Tom Morello, and former bandmates like Coverdale, Thrall, and Iommi. Woven
throughout Hughes’ tales of famous musicians and various girlfriends, however,
is that of his struggle in the face of overwhelming addiction, including the
self-deceit, the rationalized relapses, and the final moment of clarity where
Hughes heard the voice of God (not literally, tho’ maybe…I’m not revealing any
spoilers!) that led to his current sobriety and obvious joy of life.

Overall, Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography tells an
amazing and engaging story – that of the rock star brought down to earth and
subsequently resurrected to enjoy a second (third?) chapter
of his career. One aspect of the book seemingly overlooked by others who have
reviewed it is the perspective of the various people who have offered their
comments on Hughes. Without exception,
they all seem genuinely relieved that Hughes has found peace with himself,
their comments displaying a fondness for the man and an appreciation of his
talents…for Glenn Hughes is living proof that a nice guy can finish first…

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